disney at christmas

[Sherry E]

Let's resurrect this thread one last time, before the holidays are over for good in 2009. Anyone have any last minute contributions?

 

[Eeee-va]

I guess Christmas 2009 is over ...but my tree is still up. Does that count?

First, do NOT go out of your way to see the "light show" they might mention online as occurring 4 times a night at the castle...totally not worth it unless you happen to be standing around, IMO. It's beautiful to just SEE the castle lit up, but the light show itself isn't anything you need to rush from DCA and miss Soarin' to get a spot to see. (Not that we did or anything. )

I'm well out of the target age range for this activity, but my very favorite thing to do at Christmas was actually decorating cookies! They had snowmen, trees, and gingerbread people. $6 seems steep, but you got a good amount of decorating goodies. They come in a box that can double as a carrying case if you can resist eating it.

My gingerbread person:

(I admired her for about 30 seconds before I devoured her!)

My friend's tree (the candy cane sprinkles were PEPPERMINT!):

With a little of my red mixed with her green for a brown trunk:

If you were really cheap, you honestly could decorate 2 cookies with all the stuff that comes in one kit, so if you brought cookies from home or even bought cheaper cookies at the bakery...

But it was great fun!

We also saw a cute little show in the Carnation Gardens area, by a ballet (?) group from Australia, of all places! We met the woman and a couple of the performers in a store in Critter Country on Thursday (OK, my mom struck up a conversation as she is wont to do) and we promised to go see it. There weren't too many people there but it was just a nice little Christmas-y thing to do!

And a couple random shots my mom admired.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

First, do NOT go out of your way to see the "light show" they might mention online as occurring 4 times a night at the castle...totally not worth it unless you happen to be standing around, IMO. It's beautiful to just SEE the castle lit up, but the light show itself isn't anything you need to rush from DCA and miss Soarin' to get a spot to see. (Not that we did or anything. )

I totally agree! It seems like it's made to keep people occupied as they rush from one activity or another and just happen upon it, or as they wait in lines for food, AP processing, or other activities like the parade or fireworks. Definitely not something worth rushing out of your way to go see.

And a couple random shots my mom admired.

Beautiful photos!

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Awesome photos Roger! I love this shot! Was it shot with a wide angle lens? Which one were you using?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

lets put this one back up an see who all can use it an lets add more to it for this year.

 

[Sherry E]

Good thinking, Jade! Even if no one has anything new to add to it in the way of holiday pictures yet, it's great to bump it up every so often so that anyone planning a holiday trip to DLR - who has not already seen this wonderful thread - will have a chance to study it and really get a sense of everything there is to enjoy at Christmastime. It's a feast for all the senses!

When describing DLR during the holiday season, our wonderful DIS-er Prettyprincessbelle (Courtney) put it perfectly when she said, "Even if you close your eyes, you can still feel the Christmasy." So true! Although Halloweentime is great at DLR, it doesn't capture all the senses, and it's not quite as all-encompassing and immersive as Christmastime is. You can feel that it's Christmas at DLR if you close your eyes - you can smell the peppermint or gingerbread, you can hear the different styles of Christmas music played in different lands, you can feel the brisk air on your cheek, etc. It's just magical!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i say they should make this one a sticky tab lol

 

[Torgue]

Just booked the VGC for December. Our first Christmas trip ! Thanks for this thread.

 

[Sherry E]

I think this thread needs a new splash of color! Until we get new or different contributions of photos of other holiday things at DLR from our DIS-ers, I am going to post photos of some holiday merchandise! This is a one-stop shop for all holiday things, and merchandise is a part of the fun of the holiday season at DLR. Most of these items shown below are things that I got in 2007 at DLR, but I am showing them anyway because several of the items were still being sold in 2008 and 2009 at various shops around DLR, so it is very likely that some of them may still be available in the holiday season of 2010. Of course, they may not be, but you may still be able to find a few of them.

I must say that these things are some of my favorite DLR souvenirs & collectibles ever. DLR came out with this adorable "cookie & candy" theme for ornaments, snowglobes, pins, magnets, and anything you can think of and I couldn't get enough of it! The detail is amazing on some of these items, and the colors are vibrant. I love the cookie and candy and ice cream cone accents!! So cute! So here we go:

This is actually a cookie/candy Castle ornament, but because of its weight, it is better used as a small sculpture to set out as decoration - notice the Hidden Mickeys in the peppermint candy above the archways:

This is a cookie/ice cream cone mini-picture frame/ornament:

This is an oversized mug or bowl for chili, cereal, soup, oatmeal, maybe a jump coffee drink, etc. It comes with its own little recipe cards and a wooden spatula thingy:

This is a Mickey cookie/candy ornament:

This is a "cookie sheet magnet" with little Mickey and Minnie gingerbread cookies on the sheet!:

This is a holiday pin set I got in Acorn Goods inside the GCH - all the pins in it are snowflakes with characters on them, and as you can see, the card insert has a holiday castle photo on it:

Two special holiday attachments for Mr. Potato Head:

A beautiful cookie/candy Castle musical snowglobe - I just love the details and ornate work on it:

 

[JadeDarkstar]

awww thats so cool

 

[Sherry E]

awww thats so cool

Yeah, I really loved that line of merchandise in 2007, with the whole cookie/candy/ice cream cone theme. So detailed and so colorful, isn't it? And the kind of 'sloppy' way they painted on the Castle in the Mickey peppermint candy shapes and all around the exterior really loooks authentic, like something people would do at home if they were making a cookie Castle!

There were other items I didn't get as well - more magnets, more ornaments, more kitchen-type items such as spreaders with gingerbread cookie Goofy and Pluto on them, etc. There was also a really cute gingerbread cookie Mickey and Minnie pin that I wanted but didn't get. I was pleased to see that DLR was still selling a few items like that in 2008, and, if I recall, I also saw something from that line in Pooh Corner in 2009 as well (Pooh Corner was the only shop I made it into in 2009, because it was too crowded to fuss with any other shops!). I would imagine that they will completely get rid of the whole cookie/candy line eventually, if they haven't already, and come up with something even more clever, but I think these things were so popular that DLR kept them around for a while.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm well out of the target age range for this activity, but my very favorite thing to do at Christmas was actually decorating cookies! They had snowmen, trees, and gingerbread people. $6 seems steep, but you got a good amount of decorating goodies. They come in a box that can double as a carrying case if you can resist eating it.

My gingerbread person:

Was that in '09?

When the BBQ place went in, most of us were wondering if they would still be doing the Halloweentime and Yuletime cookie decorating. And most people said they didn't find it.

I didn't even check, though I was there at Halloweentime, because I didn't want to go into a BBQ place to find out (that's where they used to have those cookies for sale). Especially not a BBQ place next to a petting zoo (this vegetarian says "gah!").

So is that were the g'bread cookies were? Or were they elsewhere?

Not that we'll be there this year, sigh...seems I've convinced us all to go to Orlando (what was I thinking?). If we want the yuletime stuff, we gotta pay for a bunch of it! (MVMCP)

 

[DisneyJulieZ]

Yeah! I love reading this thread as we count down to OUR December DLand trip!!

 

[smiley_face2]

Awesome Idea! people plan their Christmas trips well in advance so this should stay at the top for sure!
This is why we love to be there right after the season as well... just look at the non-crowds! lol...it was so hot and sunny this year too! The castle looks lovely with just the snow...those plastic icicles while beautiful at night, I think look tacky in the daytime.

We really loved it for New Years Eve, much more than I thought I would!

It rained one day/night while we were there, did not do much to cut down on the crowds though.... this was of course before the Christmas season was actually over, between Christmas and New Years. sorry it's an iphone pic, so not very good

DCA seemed to be more decorated, prettier this year, or was it just me? another iphone pic...sorry! next time I'm taking my camera with me all the time!

 

[Eeee-va]

Was that in '09?

When the BBQ place went in, most of us were wondering if they would still be doing the Halloweentime and Yuletime cookie decorating. And most people said they didn't find it.

I didn't even check, though I was there at Halloweentime, because I didn't want to go into a BBQ place to find out (that's where they used to have those cookies for sale). Especially not a BBQ place next to a petting zoo (this vegetarian says "gah!").

So is that were the g'bread cookies were? Or were they elsewhere?

Not that we'll be there this year, sigh...seems I've convinced us all to go to Orlando (what was I thinking?). If we want the yuletime stuff, we gotta pay for a bunch of it! (MVMCP)

In 2009 they had the gingerbread and sugar cookie decorating on Main Street, fairly near the hub and the attraction board, on the left side. I think out in front of the Plaza Pavilion? It was not busy at all but we did go on a chilly and not very busy day. (About as many adults as children were decorating cookies!)

I guess there are sometimes horses on Main Street and someone might have been eating a hot dog in the area but it's not really the same thing.

I'm sure Orlando is fun for Christmas too. (Better than my non-Disney Christmas 2010, probably, but it's all good. Sadly, my last trip was so great I almost hesitate to go back again because I'm not sure it could be topped!)

 

[Sherry E]

DCA seemed to be more decorated, prettier this year, or was it just me? another iphone pic...sorry! next time I'm taking my camera with me all the time!

I agree. I thought so too. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they relocated the Christmas tree to the Paradise Pier area, overlooking the water, which was a lovely location for it, and brought Santa back (who was missing from DCA in 2008). It just seemed more festive and Christmasy than it had in 2008. Also, the Christmas tree was prettier than it had been in 2008 as well. I hope they continue to build up the Christmas activities and decorations, etc. at DCA, because DCA needs it. DL just automatically lends itself to the Christmas feeling when you set foot on Main Street - it's like something out of "It's a Wonderful Life." But DCA needs a bit of an extra kick to get it feeling magical during the holidays, I think. Then again, I assume many folks probably appreciate that DCA has a totally different vibe during the holidays than what DL has, because it offers a nice contrast and alternative. Maybe the upcoming holiday overlay of Toy Story Midway Mania - whenever that begins - will be the right dose of holiday magic that appeals to everyone.

 

[smiley_face2]

I agree. I thought so too. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they relocated the Christmas tree to the Paradise Pier area, overlooking the water, which was a lovely location for it, and brought Santa back (who was missing from DCA in 2008). It just seemed more festive and Christmasy than it had in 2008. Also, the Christmas tree was prettier than it had been in 2008 as well. I hope they continue to build up the Christmas activities and decorations, etc. at DCA, because DCA needs it. DL just automatically lends itself to the Christmas feeling when you set foot on Main Street - it's like something out of "It's a Wonderful Life." But DCA needs a bit of an extra kick to get it feeling magical during the holidays, I think. Then again, I assume many folks probably appreciate that DCA has a totally different vibe during the holidays than what DL has, because it offers a nice contrast and alternative. Maybe the upcoming holiday overlay of Toy Story Midway Mania - whenever that begins - will be the right dose of holiday magic that appeals to everyone.

Oh I had not heard about an overlay for TSMM!! that would be cool!! REally we should not....but we are probably going to make a really quick trip down in summer to see The World of Color. Somehow we have gotten into this expensive groove of trips every 6 months or so... coming all the way from Canada it's not cheap; I'm sure we should be putting the money in a jar for retirement...but have you seen the Disney/Pixar movie Up?? not going to be Carl and Ellie!! lol...
I'm sure they will do something with WOC for the Christmas season as well... We actually spent most of our time in DCA for New Years Eve...we really liked the vibe there, it was very up and happy! We had dinner at the Storytellers so of course walked out of the Grand into DCA so decided to tour around the whole place. It was a LOT of fun!

 

[Sherry E]

Bump!

 

[Sherry E]

For any folks aho are considering making a DLR holiday visit, here is another Bump!

Not only had this thread slipped off the first page, but it was about to slip off the second page too! This board must be hoppin'!!